Recommended music for marathons: uplifting songs that give you the courage to power through
Do you listen to music when you run marathons or go jogging?
In fact, listening to music while running comes with big benefits!
The biggest advantage is that matching your stride to the tempo can act like a pacemaker and help you keep a steady pace.
Plus, listening to your favorite tracks or motivational songs can boost your morale, helping some people make it all the way to the finish.
In this article, we’ll introduce songs with comfortable running tempos and uplifting anthems that boost motivation!
You’re sure to get that extra push to hang in there a little longer.
Just be sure to stay aware of your surroundings—and bring these tunes along as your companions for marathons and jogs!
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Recommended music for marathons: motivational songs that give you the courage to run through (51–60)
It starts here!DREAMS COME TRUE
Brimming with dynamic rhythm and a powerful melody, this track serves as a heartwarming anthem that, while a theme song for an ekiden relay race, also celebrates life’s challenges, hard work, and those taking a bold new step forward.
DREAMS COME TRUE fuse ’80s disco sounds with Latin grooves into a lively arrangement that gently pushes listeners onward.
The song was released digitally ahead of time in January 2025 and was later included as a single in March of the same year as the theme song for the “ACN EXPO EKIDEN 2025 Commemorating the Osaka-Kansai Expo.” It’s a buoyant tune that, when played during practice for school sports days or athletic festivals, naturally sparks a sense of camaraderie with teammates and a renewed determination to reach your goals.
Critical HitRADWIMPS
A rousing anthem that fills you with positivity and the courage to take on new challenges.
Featured on RADWIMPS’ December 2013 album “X to O to Tsumi to,” this song questions how we face our true feelings and the choices we make in life.
It gives soulful voice—over a powerful, hard-hitting rock sound—to the inner conflict between social success and what you truly want to do, using the metaphor of a baseball game.
The exhilarating guitar riffs, rhythmic drums, and piercing, forceful melody will inspire you to push your limits.
The music video, shot in a ballpark with 1,500 extras, is also a must-see.
It’s the perfect track when you want to give your all with your teammates at a sports day, or when you’re ready to step up and face a crucial challenge.
rainbowFukuyama Masaharu
One of Masaharu Fukuyama’s signature songs, it was used as the theme for Fuji TV’s popular drama WATER BOYS.
His rich, husky voice resonates with the heart and fires you up.
When the chorus hits, it makes you want to sprint at full speed without thinking.
Seesaw Game ~A Brave Love Song~Mr.Children
Among Mr.Children’s songs—known affectionately as “Misuchiru”—Seesaw Game: Brave Love Song stands out as a true outlier.
Despite having no tie-in, it became a runaway hit.
The lyrics create a distinctive world set to an uptempo rock sound—super cool, right? A marathon course inevitably has its ups and downs, just like a seesaw game.
Moments of ease and moments of struggle come one after another, so why not fire yourself up by listening to this track? It’s sure to carry you all the way to the finish line!
Recommended music for marathons: Motivational songs that give you the courage to run through (61–70)
Progresskōkua
This is the song that led to the formation of the band kōkua, with Shikao Suga as the vocalist.
It’s also well known as the theme song for “Professional: Shigoto no Ryuugi.” It’s said that, in line with the program’s concept, music professionals—musicians who are also producers—were brought together.
If listening to this song brings back the program’s atmosphere, it may help you remember your goal and give you the push to take that first step.
Rather than matching the tempo, I think the key when using it for a marathon is to savor its worldview.
Adolescent RhapsodySambomasutā
One of Sambomaster’s signature songs, it was used as the opening theme for the popular anime NARUTO.
Its up-tempo melody and powerful, masculine vocals instantly raise your spirits and give you the strength to push through to the end.
PlayPerfume
It’s a grand dance tune that can serve as a guiding light for your journey through life.
The track is by Perfume, a dance-vocal group highly popular overseas, and it was released as a digital single in November 2019.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Murder at Shijinsou,” it generated a lot of buzz.
From beneath its near-futuristic sound arrangement, you can feel a kind of heat infused into the music.
The themes are a strong attachment to life and the importance of the human heart.
Let’s ride this song and run all the way through!